Casket latch



ET AL May 2, 1950 B. J. SLAUGHTER, JR.,

CASKET LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 6, 1946 z i M5 warm 5 w. 4 W J .J a mm a Z M Z /:M BR

H 2 2 m y H H Patented May 2, 1950 httfi ii CASKET LATCH Bernard J. Slaughter, Jr.,

and Raymond W.

Brown, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors to The Crane & Breed. Casket Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 6, 1946, Serial No. 695,136

The present invention relates to improvements in a casket latch or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a burial casket with simple, inexpensive, and effective means for sealing the lid or lids in air-tight relationship with the body of the casket.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel and effective means, simple and easily operative in character, for clamping the lid or lid sections in tightly sealed position upon the body of the casket at various locations about the rim portion thereof, so that the impossibility of leakage of air, water, or other foreign materials into the casket is definitely assured.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a sealed burial casket, means for preventing leakage of air, water or other foreign substances past the lid clamping devices of the casket.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a half couch type of burial casket embodying the improvements of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, the lid being shown in a slightly elevated position.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a latching device, taken upon line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale, showing a keeper for the latch of Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmental elevational view on a slightly enlarged scale, taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a fragmental detail view showing in perspective the manner of sealing a lid section relative to the body of the casket.

Fig. 8 is a fragmental perspective view showing a second lid section adapted to cooperate with the lid section of Fig. '7, in sealing the casket at the parting line of the lid sections.

The principal parts of the burial casket are illustrated by Fig. 1, wherein I 2 indicates the body of the casket,-th'e bottom of which is indicated at l3. As is usual, the body comprises a front wall [4, a rear wall l5, and end walls l6- |6, the casket being substantially rectangular of configuration. The upper portion of the casket body is bounded by a peripheral hollow rim I1, and within said rim is housed a series of fastening devices adapted for clamping the lid sections l8 and I9 onto the body portion l2. Although the device illustrated herein is a casket oi the half 5 Claims. (Cl. 292--240) couch type, it will be understood that the invention to be disclosed will apply as well to a full couch type of casket. For convenience of explanation, the lid section l9 may be regardedas the head section, whereas part l8 may be considered the foot section of the bi-part lid. Head section I9 is provided with a hollow rim .213 extending about the front, rear, and end thereof, and a similar rim 2| is associated with the foot section IS. The lid sections may be furnished with any suitable form of cap panel, as is usual in the construction of burial caskets.

As may best be understood by referring to Fig. '7, the upper hollow rim I! of the casket body, and which extends continuously about the sides and ends thereof, is adapted to support a circumferential sealing element 22, upon which thelid sections may bear in providing a seal circumferentially about the casket rim.

mation. The upper face 23 of rim H is depressed to form a continuous groove or seat 24 circumferentially of the rim, to accommodate the sealing element 22. Thus it will be understood that grooves or seats such as 24 are formed in the front, rear, and end sections of rim H, which extends all around the casket body. It may be noted that the groove or seat 24 is arcuate,

and formed on a radius which is larger than the radius of the sealing element. By forming the grooves or seats with a radius larger than the radius of the sealing element, provision is made for compressing and flattening the sealing element between the lower surface 25 of the lid rim 2i and the groove or seat 24, without dis-' placing the sealing'element outside the limits of the groove or seat when the lid sections are clamped tightly onto' thebody of the casket.

This construction assures also substantial uniformity in the spreading of the sealing element when the casket is closed. The sealing element preferably will be cemented orotherwise fixed to its seatin the body rim H, so that it may not be displaced as the'lid sections are elevated and lowered in advance of final closing of the casket.

The foregoing description will be understood 7 as applying quite simply to a casket of the full couch type, or one which embodies a full length lid. By means of the sealing structure described, a full length lid may be lowered onto the casket body rim to effect a tight and serviceable seal precluding passage of air, water or other foreign substance at the; joints As is usual; the "lid hinged to the casket body as indicatedcat .21", the:

hinge having leaves 28 and 29 welded or otherwise fixedly secured withinthe confines of the;

lid rim and the body; rim, respectively (Fig.2).

portions'of the lid flatly contactrthevrimspoatiens of the body, while the sealingrelementfll' yields to deformation or partial fiattening as-the-lidis:

' rim 23 incident to closingof the lid section 18,

7 As will be noted by'referring to Fig. 2, the'rim' tightly closed. It is highly desirable that the-" by Fig. 2, in order that the sealingelement may metal to metal contact be achieved aa-illustra-ted.

iledge 35 and the terminal ends of sealing element .38. Recess i'spans the lid section H! on a curve which corresponds to the curvature of theiledge: 3.5, sczthatzthe metallic surface of 43 will resttupon.theametallic ledge surface 35, while the same'time the seal is effected along the full lengthmf sealing element 38. As will be understood, afoot-piece similar to 40 will be 7 provided on the opposite end of-ledge'35, at the be fully protected against puncture or attack hy the elements of the earth, orby such elements as may exist withinzarvault. that might ,eneasesi-the 1 casket; Moreoven; theazmelia'liatfli. metali contact; assurestsmaximnmrstrengthgiand: rigidity: ion the entire assemblwwhenzclosed anisealexfif.

The i'imzmay turnishedinteriorly of. the;

lid}; 'p'aipheral: inner flanges 3.6 the; pull? pose oirzwhich is 1302' support "and maintain. inv

place the 118K821 casketrliningfi'vmaterialforwthe lidi Similtirlmthe body'rimi ll? may be. provided;

a1 dependnig. fiahgefil to support-the :nsual; liiiing g'material 01: theeioasketihcdyri In; .the :case; of :theihalfrlcouchatype of. "casket;

whereinra plurality: of liisecticnszis utilized; it isznecessary ito "efiect: amiamxiliaryszseal-z atthe. V parting line10fthe?'lid;sections;:it:being: under-e stoomthat thalidssections arexseparatelyz man- J ables about their respective-2.. hingeupohnts; :r. The: manner: of providing tha;auzc'rliary.v sealing; means:

to Fig T; it may be notedathalzithe lidisection; I58; has'raavertical: ends wallc3zxzadaptethtd meet the:

end wall: 33' of ilidi'sectiorig: l kwhernthe i'icafikfilil is gully closed: as. .1; wherein;

the line of parting aof theah'disectionsis indicated; 921214314. From:.the l solid .walli32 nix lidasection [8,21 therexis extended horizontally;towardiheioliher: lizL'section'il 9;.a metallicxled gea-3 iwhiclr spansthe 1i ection l' iomaifcurve.crvarchaztramsahpomti= heres-theiledge meets:thei'casketiz-rimzll; to: a similar pointat theopposite-zsideofthe casket: 'A downwardly extended flange-31: maybeiormed;

the as: that indicated at :22 .andswil-l: I'BStf.

within; a. transverse groove or} seat 33 lformediiinsnbstantiallythe sameimanner' as'zthe groove on seatzzkiitoi accm-nmadata the. sealing element '35-.-

in: compressed; or ipartial'ly'afiattened bondie. thin, as well: as in. its normal: cylindiicah form is 1 to *lShQQGQVEEQJl *seatiS formed; greater thanathe madins-of :theishal;

ingi'elem'emifiai f 7 Atzthe-eterminahend ac iztlretledgesadi absent-1th sections:

reai==wall of the casket body. The foot pieces 40 may be integral with ledge member 35, or they may he: inthes'zformcofthin; metal: plates: welded or soldered thereto at:the.terminal cendssas ins: dicated cat. 1351;; Where the; foot-pieces: meetz-the ends-wall S'Zagof the. assalongzthe .iline, lift; a tightz'joint is: efieetedby'solder;;za;weld,;;or othenwise. The; innermedgex of .pad'; Ail; may:..-abut; the;-. end wall 32 at l fi lt and: the oppositeiedgejatxtfll may slightly *oye'rhang: the? foot; as-.- shown. At; the; time pf Jeffectin-g .thexztransverse: seal ,-.:lid sec-5 tion. l3 completestalscatheaseal along; the cira; cumfe rential: sealingf: element; :22 ,5 resulting-in a.- waterproof': andsairetighttijoint allr around the casket. bodyrimsand: along the, full length 4 of the transverse: parting: joint: rbetween the lid? The; transverse: sealingaelementr 38 yields. and 'di'storts'to: substantially the; samezex-t tent: as does-the circumferential sealing'element; 22 when thelid "sections, are rightlyclosed upon the casket body-. 1

In order-to establish ancl maintain -the-necesssary tight closure: of 'the' lidsi upon: one anothen and upon-the casketbody'rim; there' isproyided a series of latches: about the ends and the: front of the casket rim. Each lateh device ischaracter--: edaby "a rotatable part $5 we mayice; transversely slotted..:or otherwisesformed -to aceommoa date a wrench or :other: took; for actuating; the latching device. Part. this r'educediindi-ameter to furnish a shaft 46 to be.irotatably received in.a

" sleeve dlvzhich is exteriorly-ithreaded to accomof shaft-:- .46 will preferably; :be. accommodated within an :annular recess filfeztfsleevia' flalii The inner end 52 of shaft 46 is reduced-12inch thre-adednto receiveia second -nutz53; the-function and:.extended:shorizontaliyfontwardly' to 'tcverlieq andisuhstantially:spanthemimisurfacer23; The

foot-m ay' betin the formrnf a; thinziplate-scoverled with .thmitruhberpad 'upon iwhich .restsrthe:

terminal end 42 "ofthe-sealingEelecnent138.1 The.

; foot Joverli'eswthe. rsealingzi eleznent-i 22,; andi will;

flatly contact the body rim 23 when forceddowmuponritz i' Wherrftheicohdescends nponfthe in form: .1: Thezoutei'i edge- 16 t of the ,'hornzmay rfrcmatheiflattened,zareasefithetshaiiir:

meanin oiris-.15; ifiiwill hlanoted mamas body: 5510? the-latch plate includes; an extendingarm": 511 andr'a hot-1116!! which:is:generally arouata an: are whosercenter-sis" at thec aximof shaft; The. inner: edgefii of the horn; however, isiormedi on. an arcrwhoseacetrtera is offsetfrom-the; axis of shaftyficsoj thatyaricus snomts'talon 5e length ofthe shaft, as the distance of such points increases from the tip 63 of the horn.

By referring to Fig. 3 it will be noted that a slot 64 is provided in the rim ll of the casket body directly above the horn of the latch plate, said slot being adapted to permit passage therethrough of a keeper plate 65 which is fixed to the metal of rim 2!) by welding or otherwise fastening the base 66 of the keeper plate thereto. The keeper plate extends substantially perpendicularly from the lower face 25 of the lid rim, and near its free end it is provided with an aperture 61 of proper size to receive the horn 60 of the latch plate. The distance of aperture 61 from the surface 25 of the lid rim is so gauged that the tip of the horn will freely enter the aperture when the lid is casually closed upon the casket body. However, due to the progressively diminishing distance of all points on the inner edge 62 of the horn, from the axis of shaft 46, said edge 62 exerts a camming action upon the strut 68 of the keeper, as the horn is projected progressively through aperture 61 by means of a screw driver or other tool used in rotating the exposed head of the latch shaft. By the time the horn is substantially fully projected through the aperture of the keeper, the rim of the lid will be brought into flatwise contact with the rim of the casket body, and the sealing element 22 will be compressed to the desired extent, as indicated upon Fig. 2, for completing the circumferential seal and also the transverse seal'of the casket.

In caskets of the half couch type illustrated, it will ordinarily suffice to furnish each lid section with two or three front latches, and a single end latch, all of the type illustrated and described above. In a full couch type of casket, the number of latching devices along the front may be reduced to three, without impairing the sealing function. It will not ordinarily be necessary to furnish latching devices at the rear of the casket, since the hinge 21 will exert the necessary clamping force at that location.

In order to prevent possible leakage of air, water, or other extraneous matter through the openings 64 and 49 and past the shafts of the latching devices, the following sealing means have been provided. Between the outer vertical face 50 of the body rim I1 and the flange 1B of the sleeve 41 is inserted a ring or washer ll, of impervious resilient material. As the nut 48 is drawn on the threaded portion of the sleeve 41, the resilient washer H is compressed between the flange and the vertical face 50, thereby positively sealing the aperture 49 against entry of all 1 foreign matter. For the effective sealing against passage of air, water, and the like around the shaft 46, a resilient annular washer I2 is inserted between the head of the rotatable part 45 and the shaft 46, said washer preferably being elastic in order to dispose it upon the reduced diameter or neck 13, formed on the shaft immediately adjacent the inner face of the head of part 45, as shown in Fig. 3. It is obvious that by drawin up the nut 53 on the threaded part 52 of the shaft, the Washer 12 will be compressed within the annular recess 5|, thereby effecting a positive seal against the entry of the aforementioned foreign matter around the shaft 46 and into the hollow rim I i of the body.

Likewise, the opening 64 is sealed with a resilient elongated washer, disposed circumferentially of the keeper 65 and abutting the lower surface of the lid rim. The washer 74, having a perimeter greater than that of the opening 64,

will overlap the opening 64 sumciently to effect a seal when the lid is closed and locked by means of the latching devices hereinbefore described. In order to maintain the advantages of metal to metal contact between the body rim and the lid rim, as hereinbefore recited, the washer I4 is preferably made of a thin resilient material so that when the casket is closed and latched the washer will not offer substantial resistance against said metal to metal contact. The metal forming the lid rim 20, being somewhat flexible and resilient, will yield to a degree sufficient to enable substantially all the lower surfaces 25 of the lid rims 20 and 2| to come in contact with the upper face 23 of the body rim 2|, thus maintaining the desired metal to metal contact circumferentially of the casket. Because of the force of resistance ofiered by the sealing element against closing of the lid sections to home position, a substantial frictional engagement will occur between the horn of each latching device and its associated keeper, with the result that the latches will tend forever to remain tightly engaged and thereby prevent relaxation of the sealing function once established and maintained by rotating the latch plates to the operative holding position.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes in the structural details of the device may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a latch comprising a bored sleeve including a head having an enlarged recess concentric with the bore and forming a shoulder within the sleeve, screw threads on the sleeve adjacent to the head, a rotatable shaft having a head of enlarged diameter disposed within the recess of the sleeve, and a shank rotatable in the sleeve bore, a resilient impervious washer surrounding the shank and located between the head of the shaft and the shoulder of the sleeve bore, a nut on the exterior threads of said sleeve, a resilient impervious washer between the nut and the head of said sleeve, a latch plate mounted on the shaft at the end opposite the shaft head, said latch plate comprising a radial arm and a horn extending therefrom, the horn including a tip remote from the radial arm, a cam edge on the horn curved on a radius offset from the axis of the shaft to dispose spaced points on the cam edge at progressively diminishing distances from the shaft axis in the direction of the radial arm, means for fixing the latch plate against rotation relative to the shaft, and means at the head of the shaft for accommodating a shaft-rotating implement.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a latch comprising a bored sleeve including a head having an enlarged recess concentric with the bore and forming a shoulder within the sleeve, screw threads on the sleeve adjacent to the head, a rotatable shaft having a head of enlarged diameter disposed within the recess ofthe sleeve, and a shank rotatable in the sleeve bore, a resilient impervious washer surrounding the shank and lo cated between the head of the shaft and the shoulder of the sleeve bore, a nut on the exterior threads of said sleeve, a latch plate mounted on the shaft at the end opposite the shaft head, said latch plate comprising a radial arm and a horn extending therefrom, the horn including a tip remote from the radial arm, a cam edge on the horn curved on a radius offset from the axis of the shaft to dispose spaced points on the cam edge at 

